Growing flowers of cannabis intended for the medical marijuana market are shown at OrganiGram in Moncton, N.B., on April 14, 2016. The first licence for cannabis retail sales in Brooks has been granted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward
Medicine Hat News
Franchise cannabis retail sales will soon reach southeastern Alberta, according to an updated list of licence approvals by provincial regulators, who have granted the first such licence for Brooks.
“SpiritLeaf” received licence for its proposed location at 715 Second St. W. in Brooks, along with another now-licensed location in for Lethbridge this week.
That company offers franchise opportunities to local entrepreneurs, and has advertised plans to open more than 40 locations across Alberta.
That includes a former Arby’s location at 1335 Trans-Canada Way in Medicine Hat, which is being renovated to meet standards set by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
Darren Bondar, SpiritLeaf’s CEO, said the company is gaining steam toward the goal of creating a chain of stores and recognizable brand for consumers to frequent across the province and beyond.
“The really cool thing about what we’re doing is that we’ll have both corporate stores and franchise locations,” said Bondar.
“Particular to those three, there are local owner-operators who are embedded in the community, care about the community and are excited to be opening and operating cannabis businesses within them.”
The company’s franchise fee is $25,000, though franchisees are responsible for leasehold improvements and an ongoing royalty fee.
In SpiritLeaf’s case, it includes a partnership with Tragically Hip marijuana brand and other benefits, said Bondar.
There is a single owner for the Brooks and Lethbridge locations, he said, and unique owner for the proposed Medicine Hat location.
The three now-licensed Alberta locations, including one in St. Albert, are expected to be in operation within a week, as will one in Moose Jaw, where a franchisee was successful in that province’s 50-store announcement last spring.
Those are among 21 Alberta sites the company has acquired conditional approvals from municipalities to set up shop. An additional 23 locations were in the planning and application phase.
Medicine Hat was the site of three stores among 17 in the province that received interim operating licences from the AGLC in early October. That allowed them to order and receive stock prior to the Oct. 17 legalization date, as well as be open on Day 1 when the federal prohibition was lifted.
Those three local outlets are owned by local independent entrepreneurs, while as many as 12 other locations are being renovated by others and are the subject of permit applications.
The local planning commission has approved 16 such locations, which must be scrutinized by provincial regulators before they open.
SpiritLeaf is also not the only chain retailer that has multiple licences.
NewLeaf Cannabis, which has two Lethbridge locations, is also licensed to operate five stores in Calgary and one in St. Albert.
Fire and Flower Cannabis, has six stores approved, most in the area around Edmonton.
The AGLC has stated that licence applications they’ve received total three for Brooks, as well as three for Redcliff, where Canna Canaba has held open houses about a shop there. That company holds a licence in the Calgary community of Canyon Meadows.
